During live music performances, musicians utilize various effects devices to enhance their playing and performance. One field of commonly used effects devices are effects pedals. Effects pedals may be positioned on the floor and accessed and operated by musicians during a show. Wah wah pedals, for example, are pedals which are positioned on the floor, proximate the foot of a guitar player which can be activated by stepping on a treadle (or an associated button on the base of the pedal) to utilize the effect on a guitar played in association therewith.
The location of any pedals, particularly those positioned on the floor, is critical for two reasons. First, everyone on stage needs to be able to easily identify and see the pedal in order to avoid running into the pedal which may damage the pedal or cause a musician on stage to be injured. Second, the musician utilizing the pedal needs to be able to locate the pedal to activate any associated effects during the performance. In the case of pedals which are located on the floor and require a musician to step on them to activate the pedal, being able to identify the correct place on the pedal to step to avoid slipping and insure that the pedal is properly activated can be crucial.
While in some instances identifying and locating any pedals may be easy, in conditions of varying light, or in particular where the musician is performing in low light or even lights out or no light conditions, locating a pedal, particularly one located on the floor or around other musical equipment, can be very difficult. In order to combat the effects of low light or now light and make sure that pedals are more easily identified during a performance, musicians employ numerous techniques.
One such technique which is currently used by musicians is to place adhesive strips or elements, like for example glow-in-the-dark tape or stickers, to a portion or particular areas of the pedal so that it can be identified on stage in low light conditions. While tape or stickers can be effective for periods of time, elements which are temporarily adhered to the pedals can be rubbed off or removed from the pedal, or lose adhesion and fall off. Removal of the tape may cause musicians on stage to lose sight of the pedal, which may cause a musician to trip and fall over a pedal or may make it difficult for a musician to use a pedal. If the tape is pulled off and remains on stage proximate the pedal, a musician may misidentify the location of the pedal, increasing the possibility of an accident with the closely located, but now less visible pedal. If the tape remains fixed to the pedal, but has moved from a location where a musician is supposed to step to activate the pedal to a different position for example, a musician may not be able to identify the proper location to activate the pedal, making it difficult for the musician to properly utilize the pedal or even step on the pedal in a way which causes the musician to fall or be injured on the pedal.
A technique which has been used by Applicant for the present application, for example, is to apply screen ink on various parts or elements of the pedal after the pedal has been manufactured and otherwise painted or coated. Utilizing screening ink, however, can be labor intensive and quite expensive, particularly when large areas of a pedal are to be covered.
There is a long-felt need for a solution, whereby musicians can locate, identify and fully utilize effects pedals in all light conditions on a stage, without concerns of any identifying material being removed or repositioned during a performance, while creating such pedals in the most efficient manner possible. The present invention aims to solve this need.